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| Puigdemont, Rajoy and playing politics with Catalonia’s future | Puigdemont, Rajoy and playing politics with Catalonia’s future |
| (2 months later) | |
| Letters | |
| Mon 13 Nov 2017 19.03 GMT | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 13.50 GMT | |
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| The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, is digging a deep hole for himself (Rajoy: ‘Pull back from havoc of separatism’, 13 November). Once again, his conservative party is using the courts for political ends. It is deeply disturbing that a political party mired by corruption scandals is now overseeing the imprisonment of democratically elected Catalan politicians. | The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, is digging a deep hole for himself (Rajoy: ‘Pull back from havoc of separatism’, 13 November). Once again, his conservative party is using the courts for political ends. It is deeply disturbing that a political party mired by corruption scandals is now overseeing the imprisonment of democratically elected Catalan politicians. |
| It is not obvious how the Catalan elections called for 21 December are going to be “free and fair” when the leaders of the largest Catalan party are either in prison or in exile in Brussels. In any case, the Spanish government has made it clear that if a separatist majority is elected, article 155 of the Spanish constitution will be invoked again. The EU has refused to act to bring this nonsense to an end and open negotiations between Spain and the Catalan autonomous government. Surely it is time for the UK Labour party to bring pressure on its sister party in Spain (PSOE) to stop sitting on the fence and force the minority Spanish government to the negotiating table.Dr John PayneAuthor, Catalans and Others: history, culture and politics in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, Frome, Somerset | It is not obvious how the Catalan elections called for 21 December are going to be “free and fair” when the leaders of the largest Catalan party are either in prison or in exile in Brussels. In any case, the Spanish government has made it clear that if a separatist majority is elected, article 155 of the Spanish constitution will be invoked again. The EU has refused to act to bring this nonsense to an end and open negotiations between Spain and the Catalan autonomous government. Surely it is time for the UK Labour party to bring pressure on its sister party in Spain (PSOE) to stop sitting on the fence and force the minority Spanish government to the negotiating table.Dr John PayneAuthor, Catalans and Others: history, culture and politics in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, Frome, Somerset |
| • I can well imagine why Carles Puigdemont responds in such a myopic way to Mariano Rajoy’s wholly counterproductive action to enforce the Spanish government’s rule in Catalonia (We Catalans are fighting for a just state, Opinion, 7 November), but cooler heads are necessary on both sides. I imagine that most Guardian readers will emotionally sympathise with Puigdemont and his colleagues’ wish to have an independent state, but emotion is not a basis for successful politics. Even his citing of 72 seats out of 135 elected in the 2015 Catalan elections favouring independence is far from being a sufficient consensus to justify total separation. | • I can well imagine why Carles Puigdemont responds in such a myopic way to Mariano Rajoy’s wholly counterproductive action to enforce the Spanish government’s rule in Catalonia (We Catalans are fighting for a just state, Opinion, 7 November), but cooler heads are necessary on both sides. I imagine that most Guardian readers will emotionally sympathise with Puigdemont and his colleagues’ wish to have an independent state, but emotion is not a basis for successful politics. Even his citing of 72 seats out of 135 elected in the 2015 Catalan elections favouring independence is far from being a sufficient consensus to justify total separation. |
| Puigdemont makes a strong case for independence, but it is a sad fact that it is almost invariably well-off provinces that seek it, rather than poorer regions which depend on national resources to meet their needs. There have also been those who have tried to use the Catalan situation as evidence of the impotence of the EU and thus as an encouragement for Brexit. In fact the reverse is the case: it is the existence of the EU that enables the diminution of the nation state and the maximum devolution to regions and provinces. This has been evident already in Spain, as well as in the UK, in Italy, in Belgium and in Germany. The EU is, however, the enabler of federalism and certainly not for the creation of still more nation states. This why the Catalans must make their case for deeper devolution within Spain. And so must those in the distinctive identities within the UK.Michael MeadowcroftLeeds | Puigdemont makes a strong case for independence, but it is a sad fact that it is almost invariably well-off provinces that seek it, rather than poorer regions which depend on national resources to meet their needs. There have also been those who have tried to use the Catalan situation as evidence of the impotence of the EU and thus as an encouragement for Brexit. In fact the reverse is the case: it is the existence of the EU that enables the diminution of the nation state and the maximum devolution to regions and provinces. This has been evident already in Spain, as well as in the UK, in Italy, in Belgium and in Germany. The EU is, however, the enabler of federalism and certainly not for the creation of still more nation states. This why the Catalans must make their case for deeper devolution within Spain. And so must those in the distinctive identities within the UK.Michael MeadowcroftLeeds |
| • Was that a Freudian slip by Carles Puigdemont when he says “we’re playing with democracy itself”? That is exactly what he and his friends have been doing. He attempts to justify the way in which he has twisted the word democracy to mean what he chooses, and to avoid seeing any alternative view of events that does not suit his purpose. To declare your intentions does not make your subsequent actions legitimate. I don’t know anyone in Spain who has “given their uncritical and unconditional support to Mariano Rajoy’s government”. One reasonable perspective on events in Catalonia is to accept that the objective (the rights and freedoms of Catalans) is not in question, but the way it is being pursued in defiance of the constitution very much is. | • Was that a Freudian slip by Carles Puigdemont when he says “we’re playing with democracy itself”? That is exactly what he and his friends have been doing. He attempts to justify the way in which he has twisted the word democracy to mean what he chooses, and to avoid seeing any alternative view of events that does not suit his purpose. To declare your intentions does not make your subsequent actions legitimate. I don’t know anyone in Spain who has “given their uncritical and unconditional support to Mariano Rajoy’s government”. One reasonable perspective on events in Catalonia is to accept that the objective (the rights and freedoms of Catalans) is not in question, but the way it is being pursued in defiance of the constitution very much is. |
| It is a moot point whether independence would deliver any greater freedom or prosperity to any Catalan citizen than he or she currently enjoys. Carles Puigdemont’s ideological rhetoric should be treated with extreme scepticism.Nick InmanLarreule, France | It is a moot point whether independence would deliver any greater freedom or prosperity to any Catalan citizen than he or she currently enjoys. Carles Puigdemont’s ideological rhetoric should be treated with extreme scepticism.Nick InmanLarreule, France |
| • Carles Puigdemont is economical with the truth in his article. His parliamentary group Junts Pel Si (Together for Yes) was indeed the winner of the Catalan parliamentary elections of September 2015. However, despite Mr Puigdemont’s claims, the group “received the popular vote” only in the same way that Donald Trump did. In an election that Junts Pel Si framed as “plebiscitary”, the group won 39% of the vote. After some backroom horse-trading with the anticapitalist group CUP (a possibility they had certainly not mentioned to their voters during the election campaign), the pro-independence parties’ share of the vote amounted to 47%. According to Mr Puigdemont, “what must prevail is the will of the majority of the citizens”. Mr Puigdemont’s own arguments undermine his claim to have a democratic mandate. He describes the order for his arrest as “a colossal outrage”. Perhaps it is. If so, one can only speculate about the phraseology he would use to describe his government’s declaration of Catalonia’s independence without the explicit political backing of the majority of Catalan citizens.Robert JonesBarcelona, Catalonia, Spain | • Carles Puigdemont is economical with the truth in his article. His parliamentary group Junts Pel Si (Together for Yes) was indeed the winner of the Catalan parliamentary elections of September 2015. However, despite Mr Puigdemont’s claims, the group “received the popular vote” only in the same way that Donald Trump did. In an election that Junts Pel Si framed as “plebiscitary”, the group won 39% of the vote. After some backroom horse-trading with the anticapitalist group CUP (a possibility they had certainly not mentioned to their voters during the election campaign), the pro-independence parties’ share of the vote amounted to 47%. According to Mr Puigdemont, “what must prevail is the will of the majority of the citizens”. Mr Puigdemont’s own arguments undermine his claim to have a democratic mandate. He describes the order for his arrest as “a colossal outrage”. Perhaps it is. If so, one can only speculate about the phraseology he would use to describe his government’s declaration of Catalonia’s independence without the explicit political backing of the majority of Catalan citizens.Robert JonesBarcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| • It is notable that Carles Puigdemont stays silent on the accusation of misuse of public funds. Whereas most would pause re charges of sedition (generally) or rebellion (where violence is not involved), there does seem to be a primae facie case of misuse of public funds if money from general taxation has been unlawfully used to pay for a partisan referendum. Despite Puigdemont’s spurious claims to be a democratic campaigner, it should be recognised that the objective of his and similar separatist causes is to permanently remove rights from those who consider themselves, for example, to be both Catalan and Spanish. He appears to believe it is democratically justifiable to do that based on manipulating or ignoring the law to railroad Catalonia into a split from Spain based on a dubious majority snapshot partisan vote – even though viewed over decades there has never been evidence of such a majority.Colin GarwoodBerkhamsted, Hertfordshire | • It is notable that Carles Puigdemont stays silent on the accusation of misuse of public funds. Whereas most would pause re charges of sedition (generally) or rebellion (where violence is not involved), there does seem to be a primae facie case of misuse of public funds if money from general taxation has been unlawfully used to pay for a partisan referendum. Despite Puigdemont’s spurious claims to be a democratic campaigner, it should be recognised that the objective of his and similar separatist causes is to permanently remove rights from those who consider themselves, for example, to be both Catalan and Spanish. He appears to believe it is democratically justifiable to do that based on manipulating or ignoring the law to railroad Catalonia into a split from Spain based on a dubious majority snapshot partisan vote – even though viewed over decades there has never been evidence of such a majority.Colin GarwoodBerkhamsted, Hertfordshire |
| • Colm Tóibín (Review, 4 November) asks who would suffer if Catalonia became an independent state but does not venture an answer. The first to suffer would be the roughly half of Catalans who speak Spanish as their first language, who already suffer from barriers in education and employment, and who face the prospect of being deprived of their Spanish nationality and identity. | • Colm Tóibín (Review, 4 November) asks who would suffer if Catalonia became an independent state but does not venture an answer. The first to suffer would be the roughly half of Catalans who speak Spanish as their first language, who already suffer from barriers in education and employment, and who face the prospect of being deprived of their Spanish nationality and identity. |
| Since the restoration of democracy, Catalonia has pursued a policy of “linguistic normalisation”, putting native Spanish speakers at a stark disadvantage. According to data from the OECD’s Pisa test, the failure rate for Spanish speakers in Catalonia is double that of native Catalan speakers across maths, reading, and science. This continues into the workplace, where those who do not speak Catalan fluently can face discrimination, especially in public-sector employment. | Since the restoration of democracy, Catalonia has pursued a policy of “linguistic normalisation”, putting native Spanish speakers at a stark disadvantage. According to data from the OECD’s Pisa test, the failure rate for Spanish speakers in Catalonia is double that of native Catalan speakers across maths, reading, and science. This continues into the workplace, where those who do not speak Catalan fluently can face discrimination, especially in public-sector employment. |
| In a society as starkly divided as Catalonia’s, where language is the single best predictor of political affiliation, it is reasonable to ask whether an independent Catalonia would be capable of protecting its Spanish-speaking citizens from discrimination, or if it would even be inclined to try.Ben Casement-StollCambridge | In a society as starkly divided as Catalonia’s, where language is the single best predictor of political affiliation, it is reasonable to ask whether an independent Catalonia would be capable of protecting its Spanish-speaking citizens from discrimination, or if it would even be inclined to try.Ben Casement-StollCambridge |
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| Catalonia | |
| Carles Puigdemont | |
| Mariano Rajoy | |
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